Queen Street Has Important Friends

By Bruce Walczak

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

To the Editor:

The Police Commission, who approved five speed bumps on Queen Street, and Pat Llodra, who authorized their installation, have done a huge disservice to Newtown. It has negatively changed the character of the Borough and Newtown forever. The number of bumps is a clear indication that the primary objective was to divert auto, truck and bus traffic off Queen Street, not speed.

In August of 2012 Police Commissioner Faxon asked if the commission had achieved its objective with two speed bumps because the average speed was only 3.6 miles over the speed limit. Commissioner Sachs indicated the bumps had already diverted him off Queen Street a number of times . At the same meeting the Chief said the data indicated traffic had been diverted with only two speed bumps. Robert Geckle, former Chairman of Fairfield Hills, and Dan Shea former Legislative Council candidate, both Queen Street residents, have been lobbying for speed and traffic reduction for years. Mr Geckle actually met with the police chief and director of school transportation on more than one occasion to ask them to divert school buses to Route 25, the most dangerous street in Newtown. Shop owners were also asked to have delivery trucks stay off Queen Street. Mr Shea has publicly said there is too much traffic and complained that school buses use Queen Street.

No other road in Newtown has received this type of attention. What is ironic is the length of Queen Street between The Glover intersection and Mile Hill road has one of the lowest accident rates in town. Residents of Sandy Hook are particularly impacted by theses bumps and diversion as Queen Street is the most logical route in to town for many of those residents.

The Newtown ethics policy says that public officials should not give preferential treatment to any one based on political considerations or personal friendship. Is there any other explanation as to why Queen Street has been singled out with five speed bumps?